COLUMBUS – Don’t call it fall camp just yet.
That was the edict from Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to his players on Thursday as the Buckeyes hit the field for an early morning practice.
Fall camp, in Meyer's mind, will begin next week. Ohio State’s typically begins fall camp in August, after the summer academic term concludes, but started practice earlier this year due to the NCAA’s new legislation banning two-a-days.
Terminology preferences aside, Thursday was the first time the Buckeyes practiced since their April spring game. With coaches and footballs on the field, Thursday’s practice counted against the 29-practice limit allowed before the first game of the season. But the Buckeyes say their most intense preparation for the season is still to come.
"It wasn’t too crazy," Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett said of the first practice. "We’ve been doing similar things like seven-on-seven, mini-field, things like that and we just threw in some team stuff with bags and that’s basically it."
Thursday was an opportunity for the Buckeyes to get back into the rhythm of practicing before the pace cranks up to full speed next week.
"All of us were a little adjusting to the speed of it, getting back things and getting our feet more active and things like that,” Barrett said.
Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano said the Buckeyes were rusty on Thursday, five weeks away from the team’s Aug. 31 season opener at Indiana, but he was pleased with the effort and enthusiasm they showed.
"That’s what training camp’s for," Schiano said. "Install everything first, and then shine it all up, get ready for the 31st."
While the Buckeyes hadn’t practiced with their coaches on the field for more than three months, that doesn’t mean they’ve been lounging around. As always, the Buckeyes went through offseason workouts with Mickey Marotti and the strength and conditioning staff. Those workouts already had a reputation for being challenging, and Ohio State players felt Marotti made them even tougher this offseason.
"In the weight room, I feel like Coach Mick turned it up a little bit on us, took it up a notch as far as how intense we were in the workouts, and also the workload too, because he wants to make sure we’re prepared for the season," Barrett said.
Left tackle Jamarco Jones felt he and his teammates worked especially hard this offseason because of the way last season ended.
"The last game of the season didn’t go the way we wanted it too, and so that opened up some eyes I think," Jones said, referencing the Buckeyes’ 31-0 loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. "We just got to get back to who we are as a team and just get back to those ways."
Tight end Marcus Baugh spent Thursday’s practice working on the sideline with an athletic trainer, as expected, due to inflammation in his toe. Running back Mike Weber and left tackle Jamarco Jones were also limited by injuries, but neither injury is believed to be serious, though Jones declined to discuss the specifics of his injury after practice. Weber was not scheduled to meet with the media on Thursday.
Ohio State LT Jamarco Jones didn't really wanna discuss injury that limited him today. "I'll be all right."
— Tim Shoemaker (@TimShoemaker) July 27, 2017
Ohio State will hold another 6:30 a.m. practice Friday, then take the weekend off before returning to the field on Monday.
